Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers | 2016 MLS Match Preview

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC vs. PORTLAND TIMBERS
BC Place | Vancouver, British Columbia
Sunday, Oct. 23 | Week #34 | MLS Game #340
4 pm ET (TSN1 in Canada, MLS LIVE, ROOT Sports NW in the US)

The Portland Timbers must end their season-long road woes if they are to earn the chance to defend their MLS Cup title in the postseason, as they visit their Cascadian rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps in one of Decision Day's edgiest matchups. As one of four teams vying for the final three playoff slots in the Western Conference, Portland realistically need a win to get in ... but that's something they've yet to achieve in league play away from home this year. There's also the significant matter of the Cascadia Cup, which the Timbers can secure with a win or draw. A Whitecaps win, however, would throw the regional trophy's standings into a three-way tie that would have to decided by goal differential. 

• Whitecaps FC finished their road campaign for the season by seeing their overall winless streak extended to four games, following a goalless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday afternoon.
• Fanendo Adi scored the game’s lone goal as the Timbers snapped a two-game losing run and extended their winning streak at their Providence Park to five games, remaining alive in the chase for the MLS Cup Playoffs with a win against the Colorado Rapids on Sunday afternoon. The Timbers hit the road aiming to avoid becoming the eighth team in MLS history to go through an entire season without an away victory. They are 0-10-6 on their travels entering the season finale.
• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, each having won on their home ground in a pair of meetings two weeks apart early in the season. Masato Kudo and Christian Bolaños scored six minutes apart in the second half to pull Whitecaps FC back for a 2-1 win May 7 at BC Place. Then on May 22, four different Timbers scored goals in a 4-2 victory at Providence Park.
• Whitecaps FC have won just three times in 16 all-time MLS meetings between the teams, all coming in the last eight meetings. The ‘Caps have won the last two meetings at BC Place, over the last two seasons, their only league wins at home vs. the Timbers.
• The Timbers now have a four-game home undefeated streak alive in the series, with two wins and two draws. The last Vancouver win in Portland came June 1, 2014, a 4-3 victory.
• The teams first met on May 16, 1975 in the old North American Soccer League, the Timbers winning 2-0 at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. The teams have met 84 times since then, across a number of competitions – the Whitecaps hold a 36-31-17 advantage in the all-time record between the clubs. The teams met twice in the NASL playoffs, in 1978 and 1980, each team advancing on one occasion.

REFEREE: Alan Kelly. AR1 (bench): Matthew Nelson; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Atkins; 4th: Allen Chapman
MLS Career: 58 games; FC/gm: 25.5; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 13; pens: 24

SUSPENDED: POR: Diego Chara (caution accumulation; through Oct. 23); Liam Ridgewell (caution accumulation; through Oct. 23)
WARNINGS:
FINED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME [MLS] (16 meetings): Whitecaps FC 3 wins, 19 goals • Timbers 7 wins, 28 goals • Ties 6
AT BC PLACE (7 meetings): Whitecaps FC 2 wins, 8 goals • Timbers 3 wins, 11 goals • Ties 2

2016 (MLS):
5/7: VAN 2, POR 1 (Kudo 60; Bolanos 66 • Borchers 34)
5/22: POR 4, VAN 2 (Valeri 4; McInerney 29; Asprilla 78; Nagbe 82 • Manneh 49; Morales 84)

Coaches record: Caleb Porter vs. VAN: P11 W3 L3 T5 • Carl Robinson vs. POR: P8 W3 L3 T2